Just a small article and study to hopefully sway some of those thinking that bike lanes are not needed in the great city of Little Rock!
http://www.good.is/posts/turns-out-bike-lanes-are-really-good-for-local-business
Little Rock has a large community of Bicycle Advocates and Bike Nerds.
Here is one of the big ones:
http://www.bicycleadvocacy.com/index.html
Plans are in the works to re-invent certain parts of town, such as our own South Main Street area!
Here is link to a news article about the resurfacing of South Main to include bike lanes.
http://arkansasmatters.com/fulltext?nxd_id=665032
We won’t name names but there are a few in the city, who could use a change of heart when it comes to the idea of adding bike lanes to our city streets.
http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2013/05/15/city-director-erma-hendrix-unhappy-about-bike-lanes
It is getting sunnier outside and the days are longer for rides- grab your two wheels and do some good for your heart!
If you haven’t heard, there are some amazing things going on along South Main Street. We are thrilled that Create Little Rock (the young professionals arm of the Chamber of Commerce) have asked us to assist them in creating a “Better Block” event for Little Rock. If you haven’t heard of the program, check them out http://betterblock.org/. The program focuses on Rapid Urban Revitalization projects that are largely made possible through donations, hard work, and passionate volunteers.
PopUp Main Street will be focusing on South Main Street in Little Rock from I-630 to 15th Street. The event will start the afternoon of Friday, November 9th and run through the morning of Sunday, November 11th. Some modifications to the street be made the weekend prior. Check out the general plan below that was produced by studioMAIN, and keep tuned to this space for further information and volunteer opportunities!!!
Friday, June 1, 2012 | 8pm | 1423 S. Main St Suite C
studioMAIN is proud to host “Clean Lines, Open Spaces” this Friday, June 1st, as part of the Little Rock Film Festival. This documentary film by AETN’s Mark Wilcken focuses on the “Mid-Century Modernism” movement in post World War II architecture. Come and learn about the many wonderful buildings of this style that were built in Arkansas, including the Tower Building of Little Rock, the works of famed Arkansas native Edward Durell Stone, and the many other forgotten gems in Arkansas. Doors open at 6pm, be sure to show up early and check out the incredible student design work on display in our gallery, where University of Arkansas students re-envision the future of South Main Street.
“Before World War II there was an evolving movement in architecture that prioritized functionality over form. The “International Style” as it was known, became popular in Europe in the early part of the 20th century, when forward thinking architects and designers were questioning man’s role in the modern world. But it wasn’t until after World War II that modern concepts of design took root in America. The new architecture used modern materials such as reinforced concrete, glass and steel and was defined by clean lines, simple shapes and unornamented facades. “Clean Lines, Open Spaces” is an original documentary produced by the Arkansas Educational Television Network that looks at the style we now call “mid-century modern” architecture, the people who shaped it and its place in the landscape of Arkansas’s built environment.”
CAST & CREW LIST:
Producer, Writer, Editor: Mark Wilcken
Director of Photography: Gabe Mayhan
Architectural Advisor: Ethel Goodstein-Murphree
Narration: Chad Bradford
Executive Producer: Carole Adornetto
Come join us at studioMAIN, and celebrate the clean lines and open spaces of great architecture. It is going to be a great night on South Main!!
(a guest editorial by Mason Ellis)
Many people have inquired about the exhibit title, “Almost Arkopolis” and where the name came from. The story behind it is that we were almost called Arkopolis! Come to our Open House Friday nigth uring the 2nd Friday Art Walk at studio MAIN from 5- 9 to see the exhibit.
The story goes back to the early 1800’s when a trapper named William Lewis brought his family to the area which was known then as the “Point of Rocks” In 1812, set up a homestead and laid claim to the area. William was the first settler in the area of what we know today as Little Rock.
The Southwest Trail
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Project: Pettaway Pocket Neighborhood
Designer: UACDC (University of Arkansas Community Design Center) and students
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
The nine-unit Pettaway Pocket Neighborhood galvanizes urbanization within low density development. A pocket neighborhood is an identifiable cluster of houses around shared outdoor commons and infrastructure─ideal for leveraging quality within an affordable housing setting. The pocket neighborhood capitalizes on smaller home footprints with shared amenities and services like a community lawn, playground, and stormwater management infrastructure…
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LRCSI RAY ECHOLS SCHOLARSHIP GUIDELINES
The Ray Echols Scholarship is awarded for one SENIOR semester to chosen students at the following Universities: The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; The University of Arkansas, Little Rock; The University of Central Arkansas, Conway and Arkansas State University, Jonesboro. Students applying may be either full time or part time (minimum 6 hours) and be majoring in one of the following areas: Architecture, Interior Design, Landscaping, Engineering, or Construction Management.
The regulations and the awarding of the scholarships are to be made by the Little Rock CSI Scholarship Committee and the Little Rock CSI Chapter Board of Directors. The applications will be evaluated on the basis of financial need, scholastic ability, references, and recommendations from appropriate sources. A minimum GPA of 2.75 based on a 4.0 scale is required. The LRCSI Scholarship Committee will award the scholarship after reviewing all applications. Special consideration will be given to CSI student members in good standing.
Deadline for applications is the first day of April preceding the academic year for which it will be awarded. A maximum of one (1) scholarship per University per year will be awarded for a total of no more than four (4) per fiscal year.
Little Rock Chapter
Construction Specifications Institute
www.csilittlerock.org
Dwell magazine is holding a contest for “Rethinking Preservation”, see below for more details:
“We believe that designing for the modern world begins with honoring the precedents of the past. So we joined forces with Sub-Zero to conceive a contest dedicated to rethinking preservation and you delivered! We received dozens of entries and now it’s time to vote! Here’s how it works. We post for popular vote and a panel of judges selects the winner from the top ten that receive the most votes. We’ll donate $10,000 to a worthy preservation organization and the winning architectural do-gooder receives a wine storage unit from Sub-Zero. To get in the preservation spirit read our special digital issue Rethinking Preservation presented by Sub-Zero.”
-Dwell Magazine
Check out Mason Ellis’ blog post on the Broadway Bridge designs by Garver Engineers, and let us know what you think.
”..many times communities are afraid of a modern building invading their neighborhood, but this is generally because their neagative experience with many buildings are based more on poorly designed architecture rather than style of architecture. It is hard to feasibly recreate the level of detail and craftmanship in many historic styles. However, you can respect the pattern of the street and neighborhood, using the datum heights established by historic bases, cornices and parapets, bay spacings and setbacks to create modern architecture that is sympathetic to the fabric of the neighborhood..”
-David Sargent, WER Architects
This evening was great! We hosted a community roundtable discussion with Fay Jones School of Architecture students and members of the neighborhood. There was a lot of great discussion about the neighborhood and where it wants to go. Russell Rudzinski’s studio will be studying the area of South Main between 12th and 17th street. Ultimately, the students will develop urban plans for the area and also design a Writers’ Retreat! We simple can not wait to see what the students produce this semester, hope you can join us when they come back later this spring to present their solutions!
